Front End Development = Product Design

Wednesday, November 30, 2016 0:10

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There was a time, not so long ago that writing HTML, CSS, and other front-end languages often meant you were considered a programmer. Now it’s very clear this falls a lot more on the design side of the house as the line between front-end development and product design are blurred.

Over the coming years, the delineation between “product design” and “front-end development” as separate functions will disappear. Many companies have already adopted this approach, hiring individuals (often referred to as Creative Technologists) who are skilled in product design and front-end web technologies, preventing any required hand-off to bring designs to life in code. (Source – TechCrunch)

So what does this mean for startups as they look to hire front-end developers? It means that they are going to be looking for a bit broader set of skills, the ability to not just write HTML and CSS but to also be able to collaborate and work with different teams, and to iterate and update designs continuously.

There’s been a notion of continuous deployment that has become a must-have on the back-end side of the house, and now it’s fair to say this applies to both sides, or at least it will in the near future. The good news for all of us here is that as these two once different roles converge, the cohesion within companies will likely grow and innovation will happen faster.

Of course, the challenge for any organization, big or small, is introducing this change without rocking the boat in a way that adds inefficiencies into an already finely-tuned machine. The art is introducing this change the right way so that everyone works together better than ever before and the once narrowly-focused front-end developer spreads their wings and flies in a whole new way.